He Is Not Human, But A Beast
by shieru.phantomhive
Summary: He cannot indulge him. / Claude-centric, slight Claude/Alois.


_"No matter if he presented you with_

_sweets for eternity, you cannot indulge in him._

_It is because, he is not a human but a beast._

_Oh time, stop, you are forever beautiful."_

. . .

He was no longer my master, nothing but a shell of someone I had once desired. Not the soul I had once met, not the soul I had deeply desired to greedily devour. In one bite. No. The soul that once was I sought, now crumpled before me, was nothing more than a maggot in a dung heap. He was disgusting, and filthy as so described once upon a time, by Sebastian Michaelis. Perhaps he had seen back then, what I am just now seeing.

Such a useless soul. Even so, if I had to merely use my master as a stepping stone to a more desirable, a more unique and delicious, soul..then I would do just that. I knew what he would do before he, himself, knew. I knew what I would do, and my master would remain blissfully ignorant of the true dealings of a demon.

. . .

_"Excuse me. I will change the bandages."_ I saw him then, sitting up, blond hair a mess with sleep, and for that brief moment when I entered through the doors, I could see him smile. But it faltered in the next moment, and nothing that my master did, went unnoticed by myself. After all, I'm a demon and a butler. Leaning before him now, kneeling on knee and re-wrapping white bandages effortlessly, as only a demonic butler could do. I could hear his teeth grind, I could feel his anger, his desperation.

Then he spoke, _"That kid, if he's gonna stab somebody, he should do better than that." _Stoic faced, I said replied simply, _"True. Because he put unnecessary extra force into it, his aim strayed."_ This talk, it bored me greatly, though one could never tell. My perfectly practiced mask was just that, a mask that I had set into place, to never reveal emotions that would otherwise, only prove bothersome in the end result. _"If he had stabbed you calmly, he would have reached deeper inside." _Silence followed my words, before just a barely tangible twitch followed the swift movements of my gloved fingertips.

_"It sounds as if you wanted that to happen."_ He sneered, my master..had he caught on?

_"No, just.."_ No..just, my master..he couldn't catch on. Not until the time was ripe, not until he was ripe. His soul, I hungered for it. But as of late.. _"It's such an awkward, such a straightforward, pure wound."_

_Silence._

_"Claude."_

_"Yes?"_

_"How does my blood smell? Do you want to devour me now?"_

His blood. It was disgusting to me, and did not suit my tastes. It was frail in comparison to that absolutely desirable taste of him. Of Ciel Phantomhive. My master's blood..it was less than an appetizer at this point in time. And not something I could use to whet my hunger. Only Ciel Phantomhive's soul was worthy of my attention. Of my devotion.

_"Yes. There is that."_

I feigned a smile, an actual smile. Fake as it was, I knew it would shock my master to his very core. He would doubt himself, and that was all I needed. To place that single seed of doubt in my master's mind. I knew how his mind worked, and with the perfectly placed doubt, his unstable mind would twist and turn my words and actions, and he would react with rash, stupid, actions. "Well then, if you would excuse me." A formal incline to my master and I left the room in quiet demeanor, in slow strides, as I left my master to fall back on the bed, to mull over my rare smile.

. . .

That ring. I wanted that ring. Slowly, raising my head, I heard soft whispers in my ear, and news traveled fast, my master. Expertly, I wove a ring, out of paper, but it would soon be replaced with the real thing. Not just a replica of paper, not just a figment of something, of someone, I desired. He would be mine.

Ciel..

Desire.

Appetite. Attraction.

Craving.

Devotion.

Fascination.

Greed.

Hunger.

Inclination. Infatuation.

Love. Lust.

Need.

Passion. Propensity.

Yearning.

Phantomhive..

He was beautiful.

He would be mine. Soon enough, it was only a matter of time. Deceitful beings, we are. Demons. I never once planned to oblige with Sebastian Michaelis, I never once had the thought cross my mind, where we would share Ciel Phantomhive's soul. He was mine, and would be mine for an eternity.

. . .

Night. Darkness. He was afraid of the dark, wasn't he? My master, for as old as he was..he could be so foolish, so childish, so very, very naive. Ignorant, even. Was ignorance bliss? Why would he wish to have ignorant bliss, when fated, when bound to fall..it didn't matter, not as the deciding moment approached.

**snap!**

_"What are you trying to do, Master?" _Through the glare of the moon, I could see the reflected water that had collected in my master's lids._ "You have not yet obtained Ciel Phantomhive." _Easily, the disgusting was thrown away. The wolf that had tried to end my master, was tossed aside, life ended, not so much as given a second thought as it became less than a passing memory.

_"I have only you."_ He crawled, weak and bleeding, stained with crimson. There was no expression riddled on my face, and it was becoming increasingly hard to hide my disdain. I could manage a sentence, but..my master, what had happened to him?

_"Master, that kind of nonsense..."_

His voice broke my sentence, tears straining his voice, head shaking with doubt. As I had expected._ "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"_ He halted, lowering his head, shoulders shaking with sobs. _"There's only you left in my world!"_ He exclaimed so suddenly, a snap of his head tilted towards mine. Tears flew from his skin, and he weakly crawled over, clinging to me as he had become accustomed to.

And then...

_"Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel!"_

Pathetic.

_"Don't ever leave me side! Ever! Claude!"_

Wretched.

_"You..you, yourself are.."_

Filthy.

_"My highness!"_

Kneeling down then, white gloves touched porcelain skin, cupping his gentle, childish face. A single swipe, and tears were done away with. Closer, I leaned in, features softening. Yes, I'll give him that much at least. Ignorant bliss.

_"For a mere butler, to go that far.."_

That soft expression, that hopeful breath..would forever be burned into my mind. And again..

**snap!**

Blood stained beneath me, and I let his body fall. I stood then, slowly. _"Don't worry, Master."_ I spoke back towards my former master. A single step, and I faced him, raising bloodied white towards me, golden ring, ruby red stone, held in crimson. _"This menial soul that give love to one who is only a butler..cannot possibly stimulate my appetite."_

...

_"I will always be by your side."_

...

...

...

_"There is a use for your soul."_


End file.
